Joe Girardi confirms Jon Niese’s role for the 2017 New York Yankees
New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi confirmed that left-hander Jon Niese will compete for a spot in the bullpen.
The New York Yankees made a last-minute move and added left-handed pitcher Jon Niese into the picture and manager Joe Girardi confirmed his role on Monday.
[sc name=”Yankees Link Next” link=”elitesportsny.com/2017/02/19/new-york-yankees-following-freak-injury-chris-carter-now-plays-vital-role/” text=”Following injury, Chris Carter’s role is now imperative” ]
Niese, who spent eight years with the New York Mets from 2008-15 and then again for six games last season, will compete for a spot in the bullpen in what will probably be long relief.[sc name=”Yankees Center Right” ]
The 30-year-old has just 14 games in relief under his belt and has surrendered 12 runs in 18.1 innings of work (5.89 ERA). In his first eight games of relief in 2016, Niese maintained a 2.03 ERA averaging 1.6 innings per appearance.
Judging by this confirmation, it doesn’t look like the Yankees envision their latest addition to start over any of the youngsters unless injuries completely derail the starting rotation.
Remember, though, Niese was only inked on a minor league deal so there is no guarantee that he’ll beat out Adam Warren, or whoever loses out on the final two rotation spots, for a long relief role in the Bronx.
In 197 career starts, Niese owns an even record of 68-68 including a 4.04 ERA. His best season was in 2012, when he went 13-9 for the Mets, but it appears that his ceiling on the 2017 Yankees will be a candidate to help bridge the gap from a rotation that averaged 5.6 innings last season to the deadly duo in Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman.
It’s not surprising that Girardi did not consider him as a lefty specialist, as left-handed batters slashed .304/.383/.504 in 142 plate appearances off Niese in 2016.
[sc name=”Yankees Link Next” link=”elitesportsny.com/2017/02/20/aaron-judge-boasts-another-unique-skill-new-york-yankees/” text=”Judge boasts another unique skill for the New York Yankees” ]Girardi: Jon Niese is competing for a spot in the bullpen
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) February 20, 2017
Christian Kouroupakis covers the New York Yankees and is the Editorial Director for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Don’t hesitate to shoot him an email with any questions, criticisms, or concerns.
